Structural typology

Linguistic Universals

1. 
   Wherever humans exist, language exists.
   
2. 
   There are no "primitive" languages - all languages are equally complex and equally capable of expressing any idea in the universe. The vocabulary of any lan­guage can be expanded to include new words for new concepts.
   

3. All languages change through time.
4.The relationship between the sounds and meanings of spoken languages and between the gestures (signs) and meanings of sign languages are for the most part arbitrary.
5.All human languages utilize a finite set of discrete sounds (or gestures) that are combined to fonn meaningful elements or words, which themselves form an infinite set of possible sentences.
6.All grammars contain rules for the formation of words and sentences of a simi­lar kind.

7. 
   Every spoken language includes discrete sound segments like p, n, or a, which can be defined by a finite set of sound properties or features. Every spoken language has a class of vowels and a class of consonants.
   
8. 
   Similar grammatical categories (for example, noun, verb) are found in all lan­guages.
   
9. 
   There are semantic universals, such as "male" or "female," "animate" or "hu­man," found in every language in the world.
   

10. 
    Every language has a way of referring to past time, forming questions, issu­ing commands, and so on.
    
11. 
    Speakers of all languages are capable of producing and comprehending an infinite set of sentences.
    

Linguistics is an interesting subject. I know that linguistics is an interesting subject. You know that 1 know that linguistics is an interesting subject. Cecilia knows that you know that I know that linguistics is an interesting sub­ject.
13. Any normal child, born anywhere in the world, of any racial, geographical, social, or economic heritage, is capable learning any language to which he or she is exposed. The differences we find among languages cannot be due to biological reasons.